


A Beam Of Light On A Cold, Dark Night

by SkylairHernandez



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-17
Updated: 2013-10-24
Packaged: 2017-12-20 11:38:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/886826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylairHernandez/pseuds/SkylairHernandez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aiofe, a wayward 15 year old girl, now a rape victim is left alone in the world, her only company is her little bundle of cells inside her and the ghosts that plough through her mind every night as she sleeps. Luckily for Aiofe, help can be found in the most unlikely places. OC.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Aiofe is an OC, as is Reuben.   
Chapter 1:

 

"Aiofe, I'm leaving."   
"What? Leaving?"   
"Yes, I'm going home. I cannot stay with my uncle forever."   
"What will happen with us? When are you going?"  
"You ask too many questions. I leave first thing tomorrow morning."   
"That's so soon. Will I see you again?"   
"I hope not. I love you, Aiofe, I really do, but you need to get on with your life, as I need to get on with mine."   
"So this is it, you go home tomorrow, and just forget all about me? I thought we had something here!"   
"Oh Aiofe, don't be silly, I could never forget about you. You're so special to me."   
"But you're leaving me, and you just said-"  
"Aiofe, don't you see? We still have today. Let's make it the best day of our lives; one we will never forget." He reached out and caressed my face, his fingers soft and warm. I leaned into his touch, trying to memorize his smell, and his heat. His hands trailed down my neck until his arms were securely wrapped around me. He pulled me forward into his embrace and leant in, pressing his lips to mine. The kiss was soft and gentle at first, but became deeper and rougher quickly, his hands suddenly possessive on my waist. He walked us backwards so my back was pressed against a tree trunk,the bark digging into my spine painfully. I jerked my head to the side in protest, flattening my palms against his chest. "Reuben , stop. You're hurting me."

He angled his head to the side, where he could reach my neck with his mouth, sucking a mark into my neck greedily. "I'm not going to hurt you, my love. Just relax; we're just having some fun. Having a day we will remember." His hands slid lower down my back, until they were touching my butt.  
"Reuben , don't, please. I'm not comfortable with this." I pleaded hopelessly, tensing up.

Reuben continued to kiss my neck, and murmured into it, "Just trust me, Aiofe. Wound I ever hurt you?" Too quickly, he hooked his fingers into the belt loops of my shorts and yanked them down my legs, along with my panties before I could push him away. He dragged his fingernails along my flesh, exposing me to the forest and /his hungry eyes, even as I cried out.

"Reuben ! Please stop, please!"

Aiofe jerked awake, tangled in her blanket and coated in sweat. Her breath came out laboured and panting, her chest heaving as she stared emptily up at the ceiling. She sighed in relief when she saw she was in her room, safely in her own bed. As her heart slowed down its frantic gallop, she reached down and touched her stomach, it definitely felt slightly larger than usual and slightly hard. I'll tell him today. She had made this silent promise to herself multiple times, but this time it was real, this time she had planned it all out in her head.

Aiofe pulled the blanket off her legs and placed her feet firmly on the cold, wooden floor. Yawning fiercely, she plodded in the direction of the bathroom, pausing outside her dad's door; his snoring could be heard, vibrating through the plaster and wood between his mouth and her ears. Satisfied, she wandered into the bathroom and shut the door behind her. Humming quietly, she put the plug into the bottom of the tub and flicked the taps on. She went to relieve herself while she waited on the tub filling up. While she sat down on the toilet, she realised how common an occurrence this was, waking up in a state from the same dream, going for a bath to rid of the sweat and then trying to persuade herself to tell someone. Somehow, for god knows what reason, she never did.

0*&*0

The park was buzzing with life, like an ant hill, children swarming all over the toys and parents running after them with sun cream and tissues. Aiofe and her dad found a vacant bench and sat down on opposite ends. Aiofe sat sideways with her back on the armrest; she tucked her legs in underneath her.

Her father reached down and unclipped the dog's leash and the Labrador immediately bounded towards a strangers' picnic.

Joseph turned to his daughter; she was shifting about on the bench agitatedly. "Aiofe? What's going on?" He snapped. "You're attracting attention, we're strictly here on business, remember?"

Aiofe nodded. She had gone over this hundreds of times in her head, although in her head there wasn't her 6 foot 8 drug dealer father in front of her. "Dad, can I tell you something?" She ventured.

He was looking over her shoulder at a black van that had pulled up on the curb, his wild eyes eager, distracted.  
"Sure kid, make it quick; that looks like the merchandise van." Clearing her throat, Aiofe nodded and gulped down her fears.  
"Dad, a while back, that day Reuben told me he was leaving, he ra-" Her dad abruptly put a hand on her shoulder and roughly shoved her, and she fell onto the gravel beside the bench with a yelp.

She felt a sting in her elbow and looked at it, blood ran down her arm in a steady trickle and pieces of gravel were stuck in the small wound. Angrily, she looked up at her dad and glared at him, her look faltering at the oddly blank expression on his face. She started to pick herself up from the ground and in the sudden, unnatural silence she heard a soft click. It didn't sound too far away, perhaps five of six the noise, she stilled, and continued to watch her dad, who stood with stiff shoulders and wide eyes; he put his hand on the back of the bench and started to get onto the floor, his movements carefully slow.

There was a terrible, loud, rackety noise and pieces of metal flew everywhere. From her vantage point on the floor, Aiofe could see children falling from climbing frames and running frantically to their mothers' arms. People fell all around, clutching wounds and bleeding. Aiofe looked up at her dad again, lost. He was shouting something to her, but her daze clouded her hearing, and she stared blankly at him. His eyes goggled, his arms flew forwards, something else flew forwards too, it splattered, wet and warm across her face. Her father pitched forward and fell ontop of her, twitching and moaning very gently. The noise stopped and car tyres squealed in the distance. She pushed her fathers' now still form off her torso; he rolled so his face was on the floor. She sat up slowly and looked down at him; there was a massive wound on the back of his head, bits of shrapnel lay in blood. Still. His heart had stopped, he was dead.

Aiofe stood up and looked around, still unable to comprehend what was happening. People were screaming, sobbing, and lying still on the ground, staining the grass an ugly crimson. Children clung to their respective parents like koalas clinging to the tops of their home trees in a forest fire.

Aiofe pulled her dad's rucksack off the bench and slung it over her shoulders. She stumbled blindly away from the bench and towards the main road. She looked back at the bench where they had been sitting, there was bullet hole in a diagonal line across the back, the metal was buckled; it looked beaten and bruised and sorry.

Aiofe turned her back and walked away, with a sense of emptiness. Now wasn't the time to examine her feelings on the situation. Right now, she needed to be alone. Keeping her eyes down, she followed the crowds and the lines on the pavement. She weaved through and around crowds, dodging under and between people, who didn't even seem to notice as she barrelled past. As she turned a corner, she broke into a sprint. She passed a sign for the police station and took a right with the rest of the crowds, shouldering past the people who muttered feebly in protest.

Aiofe ran through the car park, where people were gathered, doctors and nurses working from tents and vehicles, tending the wounded and carting away the dead. Aiofe barely glanced at the organized chaos around her while she darted through the crowd. She wasn't paying attention to where her feet were taking her, which is why she grunted suddenly as she slammed into something hard. She looked up to find a man in a police uniform, wearing a bulletproof vest and sporting a baton strapped to his belt. The star attached to his jacket told her he was the Chief of Police, Charlie Swan. Aiofe noted with a faint sense of relief that she recognized him; he was the officer that had helped her after the encounter with Reuben .

He put a hand on her shoulder and peered at her. "Aiofe Harley? Joseph's daughter?"

She nodded.

"Where's your father?"

She kept her eyes fixed on his badge as she spoke. "He's dead. Lyingin a puddle of his own blood on the ground in the park."

Chief Swan blinked and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a packet of tissues. "Better clean up your face before someone thinks you're injured and throws you to the next available doctor."

She took a tissue from the packet he held out to her and scrubbed every essence of someone else's being from her face, wincing at the scarlet-smeared handkerchief as she finished.

"Aiofe, is there anybody there for you at home?"

She looked up at him, and shook her head. "I don't mind though, I don't need anyone."

He took the dirty tissue from her and looked into her eyes. "Aiofe, the last time we spoke I had just found you in the woods after had just been raped, and if I remember correctly, you needed someone then," he nodded to her enlarged stomach, "And you can't handle that on your own, can you?"  
"What are you trying to say? That you want to put me in an orphanage to be shipped away to some complete strangers who want to pretend that I belong to them? That I should give up my baby? That you don't think I can do this?" The words gushed from Aiofe's mouth before she even considered them. She gestured to her stomach. Tears were suddenly streaming down her face and falling onto her t-shirt.

The man shook his head, "No, Aiofe. You're a strong girl; I know you can deal with a baby. I just don't want to see you have to go though it alone. Nor do I want to see you so upset. You know, there are plenty of local people who would look after you, one of your father's friends perhaps?" His voice was gruff, but Aiofe could hear the good intent behind the words. Still, she was a little ill at ease.

She shuffled her feet,  
"Joseph doesn't HAVE friends. And who would want me once they find out that I'm pregnant with a rape baby?" She spoke harshly, "I can do this alone, as you said, I'm strong."

He put a hand on her arm, and spoke before she could throw it off. "Aiofe, you're 15. You can't live alone, you can't. You've got no choice in the matter. But I'll tell you what, go and sit in my office and when I'm done here, I'll join you and we can discuss your options." Before she could argue, he pressed a set of keys into her hand and pointed to the one for his office.

Aiofe couldn't help but snap back once more, bitterness swelling beneath her ribs. "But you just said I don't have a choice, now you speak of options?" She hated her voice for wobbling. Sniffing, she hurriedly walked away before he could answer, dragging a hand across her cheeks to angrily wipe off the weak tears.

Aiofe walked inside the building, looking around with a detached sort of interest. It was new and, well, round. The seats were round, the tables were round, the reception desk was round, even the room was a circular shape.

She quickly found the Chief's office and let herself in, key fumbling in the lock as she struggled to get in before someone questioned her presence.

Inside, the office was well-decorated, with a brown leather couch, an oak desk and beige walls. Aiofe took a seat on the couch and dumped the rucksack on the floor. It landed with a dull thud. She sighed and peeked out the large window. Chief Swan was talking to a tall, middle-aged man with blonde hair and light eyes. He was wearing loafers and smart trousers under his doctor's uniform.

They seemed to be talking very intently about something, tense mouths and serious eyes. The Chief pointed to the office window and when the other man looked over, Aiofe ducked behind the curtain to avoid eye contact.

Feeling the lengthy day bearing down on her, Aiofe lay down on the couch so nobody could see her and studied the pictures on the walls. Most of them were newspaper clippings that were too far away for her to read the words, but there were pictures of police cars and officers, and children. There was a photograph on the desk of the Chief in a tuxedo beside a woman in a white wedding dress. Chief Swan looked noticeably younger and happier, with less frown lines and crinkles around his smiling eyes. His wife was stunning, with her hair curled and pinned back with blue pins, and a fiercely happy grin touched her lips.

Aiofe was reminded of the photos she has seen of her mom, with kind, gentle eyes and a warm smile. She suddenly ached for something she'd never had. With these sombre thoughts occupying her mind, she soon fell asleep on the comfortablecouch, to the muffled background noise of people talking and children crying outside.

She was woken by someone gently shaking her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and came to rest on the Chief's worried face. His eyes wore bags of exhaustion and faint frown lines creased his face. "Aiofe, do you want me to give you a lift to your fathers' house to collect your things?" He asked with gentle concern.  
"What? Why, where am I going?" Aiofe asked blearily.

He sat on the couch beside her and looked earnestly into her eyes. "I'm not allowed to let you go home and be alone. I don't actually have anywhere for you to go, but I realise you're probably traumatized from seeing what you saw today. Aiofe, would you like to come home with me and stay for tonight?"

She blinked. "I'm not sure. Although; I don't have a choice, do I?" The words tasted sour in her mouth, but she ploughed on. "Okay, I'll go. Do I grab all my stuff from my dad's or just some clothes?"

Evidently, her attempts at bravado weren't as solid as she had hoped.

Chief Swan shot her a comforting smile. "Don't look so worried, Aiofe. You won't be alone with a horrible old man in a house. My girlfriend lives with me, and her seventeen year old son lives with me too."

Aiofe's eyes flickered to the photograph and back to the man. Girlfriend? It didn't fit with what she saw, but she stopped herself from asking about it when she realized he was still talking.

"Why would you need all of your belongings? You can get all of your things when we have more permanent arrangements made."

She nodded and looked at the clock. 7:48 PM.  
"It's that time already?" Aiofe was startled. She'd been unconscious for a good few hours.

He looked over at the clock and nodded. "It probably went fast because you were sleeping. Are you ready to go? I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Charlie stood up and she followed, grabbing her bag on her way to the door. Together they walked out of the office and towards his cruiser.

Just in case anyone was wondering, Aiofe is pronounced eef-ah, and Reuben in pronounces Roo-ben.

Thank-you for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiofe meets Charlie's family, and he takes her to meet Carlisle.

Listening to:  
Someday I'll Be Saturday Night – Bon Jovi  
A Thousand Years – Christina Perry  
Hear Me – Imagine Dragons  
Amsterdam - Imagine Dragons

The cruiser turned off the road and rolled onto a driveway, the tires crunching on the gravel like someone rather noisily eating crisps. Aiofe looked up, away from her fingernails and smiled inwardly, Chief Swan's house was big, two storeys tall with a wooden exterior painted cream, and it has a sheltered porch at the front, proudly sat on which, was a bench swing. The chief parked his cruiser beside an old, cherry red Volvo saloon. He cut the engine and looked at Aiofe, she didn't know what to say, his house was amazing, and, compared to her fathers' house, huge. She looked at the Volvo again, "Uh, nice car." Chief Swan chuckled wholeheartedly, "That? It's not mine, thankfully, it's my girlfriends." He reached into the passenger foot well and pulled out Aiofe's rucksack, slinging it over his shoulder as he stepped out the car.

Aiofe untangled herself from the seatbelt and heaved the door open. She pushed it shut behind her and jogged to catch up with Chief Swan. Together, they walked down the well-groomed, weed-less path and across the patio. He pulled the front door open and held it for her. She smiled her thanks to him and stepped through the threshold. Charlie closed the door behind them and bent down to remove his shoes, once they were off, he placed them in the corner, under the coat rack, and he then hung up his coat and gun. Aiofe look around for a chair to sit in so she could take her shoes off, she settled for the stairs and sat on them and began to untie her battered old converse. She looked up to see the Chief trying smiling sympathetically at her. She returned his smile and put her shoes under the coat rack, where they looked very out of place amongst his work shoes and expensive-looking trainers and high heels.

She followed him through a door and into the kitchen, it smelled amazing. "So you're finally home. You should have called me, I was worried about you!" The chief smiled,  
"I'm sorry, dear. I was incredibly busy with the shooting at the park. And you might want to grab an extra plate, we have company." The woman that was standing over the stove turned around, she was flushed from cooking and some loose tendrils of hair were escaping the bun she'd tied them back in, the very picture of domestic bliss. She smiled at Aiofe. "This is Aiofe, I told her she could stay with us tonight. Her father was killed today in the park." The woman's face instantly morphed into a mask of worry and care for the young girl. She pulled a plate from the cupboard beside her and placed it on the counter. "Oh, sweetheart. Go and make yourself at home, dinner will be ready in twenty minutes. Charlie, take her bag upstairs and show her where she'll sleep. And, since I haven't been introduced yet, I'm Sue." Aiofe smiled politely at Sue,  
"Thank-you." Charlie patted her arm and motioned for her to follow. He led the way up the stairs and down the hallway. He stopped in front of a door and pushed it open. "This is my daughters' room. She moved out a few years ago, but she still comes over sometimes." Aiofe stepped into the room; the walls were a light blue and covered in pictures and posters. The furniture was a light oak colour and the duvet cover was blue with white spots. There was a window seat covered in plush green cushions.

He put Aiofe's bag on the desk chair and turned to leave the room. "The bathroom is directly across the hall. I'll leave you to get settled and freshen up if you like. Just come downstairs whenever you're ready." She nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. She reached over to her bag and pulled out some clean clothes. She slipped out of her dust-covered jeans and jumper, before pulling on another pair of jeans. They were tight around her hips and enlarged stomach. She looked down at her stomach and prodded it, it was hard. She sighed and rubbed her side, and in reply, she felt a slight flutter. It was faint; and just felt like gas. But it was definitely there. She grinned, "Junior, you're not supposed to kick mommy. It's rude." She heard a soft chuckle from behind her and turned to see Sue standing in the doorway, with a quilt in her arms. Aiofe blushed and ducked her head. "I thought you might need this, it's supposed to be cold tonight, and this old house isn't the warmest." She spread the quilt over the top of the bed and patting it flat. "Dinner should be ready about now." She smiled at Aiofe, who returned it and followed her out of the room.

In the kitchen the Chief was setting the table and serving dinner as they entered the room. He turned to Aiofe, "Aiofe, could you go and tell Seth that dinner is ready? He's in the living room." He pointed to white, sliding doors and Aiofe wandered through them. There was a teenage boy sitting on the couch, playing a video game. Aiofe stood behind the couch and coughed, "Uh, dinner's ready." He paused his game and smiled at her,  
"Thanks." He jogged past her and into the kitchen, where he went to the stove and pulled out garlic bread. He cut it and put it onto a platter before placing it in the centre of the table. He sat down and patted the seat next to him, and nodded to Aiofe. She walked over and sat next to him.

Chief Swan scooped some lasagne onto a plate and placed it in front of Aiofe. She nodded her thanks and took a piece of garlic bread. She took a bite of her food and smiled. "This is amazing. What is it?" Sue beamed at the compliment to her cooking,  
"It's lasagne, it's an Italian dish."

*%*

"Aiofe? Would you like some ice cream with your pie?" Aiofe nodded and Seth scooped some ice cream into her bowl.  
"Thank-you." She smiled at him. He took his seat next to her again and they began eating their pudding. Everybody sat around the table, eating as a family and discussing their day, Aiofe couldn't help but feel like a red t-shirt in a drawer full of blue jeans, this whole thing was completely alien to her, she's never had a proper family and the amount of love and respect that encased the dining table surprised her. It was something she'd never experienced before, but what surprised her more was that she liked it, she liked the atmosphere, and she liked being treated and respected as a person.

*%*

Aiofe had started to feel relaxed and comfortable around the Chief's family; they were really nice and treated her with great kindness. But the his home was the polar opposite to her father's, the atmosphere her was warm and friendly, and the house was large, spacious and nicely decorated. The couch was incredibly comfortable; Aiofe sank into the cushions and watched Seth play his game. She smiled at the expression his face wore as he concentrated.

Sue sat on the other couch knitting, and Charlie sat beside her, typing quickly on a laptop. Sue finished her last stich and reached behind her, pulling a huge pile of wool out of a box, she laid it flat on the coffee table and smoothed it out. It was a patchwork blanket, made out of lots of squares, all of them were different colours and they all had a different pattern. But there was one square missing, Sue placed her freshly made piece into the hole and picked up and needle and thread. Aiofe watched, mesmerised, as she sewed the blanket together.

Sue sewed all around the new square and tied off when it was attached, making sure the stiches wouldn't come undone. She leaned back in her chair and tapped her boyfriend on his knee. Charlie peered over the top of his laptop and smiled brightly, pride consuming his face. "It looks great." Sue nodded,  
"I don't know why I finished it, because it was pointless. What am I even going to do with it? It's too small to go on the bed and there's no little Adam to sleep in it." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. The Chief wrapped his arm around her in a half hug and kissed her temple tenderly. "Don't get upset over it, there is nothing you could have done. But I do know what you could do with it, if you're willing." She looked at him and he nodded in the direction of Aiofe, who was siting Indian style on the couch beside Seth, with her hands on her enlarged stomach, watching the TV. Sue smiled at him stood up, "I'm getting tired, so I'm just going to go upstairs for a while. Seth, you better be upstairs in an hour, you have school tomorrow." She turned and walked slowly up the staircase.

Aiofe sat on the sofa for another minute before following Sue's lead, "I'm tired out. I might as well just head to bed." The chief smiled at her, "Goodnight Aiofe. If you need anything, please don't be afraid to ask me." She nodded and turned in the direction of the stairs. "Night, shorty." Seth laughed at her.  
"Night, Seth." She grinned.

She wandered into her room and stopped in front of the mirror. Although she felt completely different, she didn't look completely different. There definitely was a baby bump sticking out of her stomach, but she still looked like herself. She still had her dark, curly hair and her dark eyes, and she was still pale, and still skinny and short. She sighed and yanked the bobble out of her hair, it got stuck and she worked to untangle it. Once it was free, she set it on the desk and brushed through her hair with her hands, when her fingers caught on a tug her curls bounced like springs.

There was a knock at the door and Aiofe's head snapped up. "Come in." The door swung open a bit and Sue poked her head around the frame. Aiofe smiled at her and she walked into the room, in her arms a bumble of neatly folded, fluffy, white towels. She placed the towels on the foot of the bed, "Just in case you wanted to take a shower or a bath. And I would like you to have this." She pulled the blanket she had been knitting from behind her back and held it out to Aiofe. Aiofe shook her head, "I couldn't, and you've clearly put a lot of hard work into that, so you must have made it for a reason. Use it for that reason." Sue sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, she patted the space next to her as a motion for Aiofe to sit. "You're right Aiofe. I made the blanket for my sister; she has a baby a month ago. When she told me she was pregnant I started to make it, and I was going to give it to the baby when he or she was christened. But the baby, Adam, was born a month early and didn't survive. When I learned this, I stopped working on the blanket, even though at that time it was almost finished. But about a week ago, I found it behind the couch, and I decided to finish it. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but I finished it. And I am one of those people who believe everything happens for a reason, and my reason for finishing the blanket, unknown to me then, I think might be so I can give it to you, for your baby. Aiofe, I would be honoured if you would accept this; it would mean a lot to me to know that it has a purpose." Her voice was laced with sadness and her eyes were damp with tears. Aiofe took the blanket from the woman and smiled in what she hoped was a comforting way. "Thank-you, so much, for everything. I mean that. Nobody has ever been as kind or as friendly towards me as you, it makes me feel loved and cared for and safe, and those feeling have made realise something. I realised that those feelings are what I want my baby to feel, and I'm the one who's actions ensure whether that happens or not." Sue nodded,  
"Sweetheart, I know. And it's a lot of stress and responsibility for one girl. But you should always know that I'm here for you, and I will try to help you, all you have to do is ask. Now, it's getting late, I'm going to head to bed, and I suggest that you do the same".

*%*

Aiofe's eyes fluttered open and flittered around her surroundings. There was blues, and greens, and whites and large oak furniture. She was still in the Chief's daughter's room. She could hear people moving about in other room, their bedrooms, she assumed. She sat up, and as she did so, she felt a lurch in her stomach. She scrambled out of the bed, yanking her feet free of the blankets. She crashed through the bedroom door and leaped across the hall and fumbled clumsily with handle on the bathroom door. The pulled it down and shoved hard against the door, it flew open and she could have jumped for joy. Her stomach lurched again as she knelt in front of the ceramic bowl. The walls seemed to be moving. The sides of her mouth were starting to water and she could taste last night's dinner all over again. She gagged, her throat burned and the contents of her stomach splashed into the toilet water. She spewed again and again until her stomach was empty and her ribs were beginning to hurt. She reached up and flushed the toilet. She leant her head against the cold tiles on the side of the bathtub and closed her eyes.

"You feelin' any better now?" Her eyes flickered up until they reached Seth's worried face. She nodded,  
"Yeah, I feel much better. I'm just tired; I've not quite woken up yet." She smiled sheepishly at him. He reached out a hand to help her up and she stared at it for a minute before accepting it. He pulled her to her feet easily, wrapping his arm around her waist to support her once she was up. He led her back to her room, "I was actually sent to see if you're up. Charlie wants to take you to the station with him today. He plans to leave in an hour and a half." Aiofe nodded,  
"Thanks. Would anyone mind if I took a shower?" Seth laughed,  
"No. I'm sure nobody will mind. I've got to go and get ready for school, but I'll see you when you come downstairs." He patted her arm and walked out of the room.

She grabbed the towel from the desk and headed towards the bathroom.

*%*

Aiofe wandered down the stairs, clad in faded grey jeans with a hole in the left knee and a black and white over-sized Thor t-shirt. Her wet hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders and down her back. Seth pulled out a seat for her at the table beside him. She sat on it and smiled her thanks at him. He passed her a plate with a stack of 4 brown, circular things on it. She leaned towards him and whispered, "What are those?" He looked at her with a look of confusion and disbelief, but, seeing her face, he realised she was being serious. He burst into a fit of laughter and Aiofe blushed. He looked at her, "They're pancakes, Shorty. The best damned food you'll ever taste. Eat up." He put some golden syrup onto her pancakes and handed her a fork and knife.

The chief finished his breakfast and smiled at Aiofe, "You ready to go, kid?" Aiofe nodded and swallowed the last of her pancakes. Sue stood up, "No Charlie, she is not ready to go. You can't go out with wet hair Aiofe, especially not in winter, you'll catch your death. Come on upstairs and I'll dry it for you." She piled up the dishes and handed them to Charlie before starting up the stairs and motioning for Aiofe to follow. Aiofe scrambled out of her seat and up the stairs after the kind woman.

Aiofe followed Sue into her room, the walls and the furniture were a warm chocolate colour and the bed clothes, the carpet and the curtains were cream. It had a nice, homey feeling to it. There was a picture on one of the bedside tables, of a pretty brunette in a wedding dress, standing beside the Chief. It was the same photo that Aiofe had noticed in the Chief's office the previous day. Sue saw her looking at the picture, "That's the Chief's daughter on her wedding day. Her name is Bella."  
"She's really pretty." Sue nodded,  
"She is. This is his granddaughter." She pointed to a picture of a child with long, curly red hair and brown eyes, smiling brightly. Sue patted the back-less stool beside the desk and Aiofe sat in it. Sue ran a brush through the girl's hair, untangling it and freeing it from tugs and snags. She then blow dried it and brushed it so that it sat nicely. "Your hair is so long." Aiofe twirled one of her dark locks around her finger, "it looks short though, it's like springs." Sue smiled at her and passed her something grey. "Here, wear this. It's one of Seth's hoodies. He said you can borrow it so you don't get cold. I put your hoody into the washing machine and it isn't dry yet." Aiofe unfolded the hoodie; it was lined with fur or wool and had the words, "Super dry Japan" across the front of it. She shrugged into it and zipped it up halfway.

When Aiofe had her shoes and was ready to go Chief Swan was already standing by the door in full uniform, even with his gun belt on. She followed him to the car and climbed into the passenger's door. The Chief's car was already running and warmed up. Someone had already scraped the ice from the windows. They reversed out of the drive and were on their way.

Charlie sat behind his desk, sorting out the huge stack of paperwork that had appeared since he had last been in his office. Aiofe was kneeling on the couch, watching people come in and out of the station, she mentally commented on their cars and their choice of clothes, and trying to guess who they were, what they were like and why they were here. A shiny black Mercedes pulled into the parking lot and perked just outside the window. Aiofe sat back to make it less obvious that she was watching. A tall man with blonde hair stepped out of the drivers' side of the car and a man with red hair stepped out of the passengers' side.

She recognised the blonde man as the same man that Chef Swan had been talking to the previous day. She moved herself so she was sitting normally on the sofa and began tugging on loose threads on one of the bright cushions that littered the sofa. "Aiofe, would you please sit still. Your fidgeting is distracting."  
"Don't be harsh on the kid Charlie. Watching you do paperwork must be very boring. So boring, in fact, that she has resorted to stalking people from your office window." Aiofe's head snapped up, she hadn't even heard the men come into the office. The Chief chuckled, "Take a seat." He pointed to the sofa and Aiofe leaped from it and went to stand against the wall. "Where are you going, Aiofe?"  
"I was just giving them a seat." Aiofe blushed and looked at her converse clad feet. The two men sat on the couch beside each other, leaving half of the couch for Aiofe. She couldn't help but think that they were a guy couple that the Chief was going to let adopt her, because they couldn't have children of their own. She tried not to laugh out loud at the idea of living with gay men. What if she overheard them in the bedroom? Aiofe chocked out a laugh and had to cover it up with a cough. "Aiofe, this is Carlisle and his son, Edward. Gentlemen, this is Aiofe." The man, Carlisle, smiled kindly and stuck out his hand for Aiofe to shake. She stepped forwards cautiously and shook his hand, she noticed that he had a strong grip and muscled hands, but her was gentle, and held her hand like it was something precious. This man must work with his hands. He gestured to the empty space on the sofa next to him and Aiofe felt pressured to sit, so she sat.

Chief Swan brought out a large file filled with lots of sheets of paper, all different colours and sizes. "This is Aiofe's file. It contains everything, birth certificates, death certificates of family members, information on family members, school reports, reports about arrests on family members, everything." He handed the file to Carlisle, who opened it and started to look through it, not missing a single piece of paper. His son read over his shoulder. They discussed in hushed whispers, too low for Aiofe to interpret what they were saying.

They had been reading for just over half an hour when something made them stop, and Aiofe knew instantly what it was. They were almost at the end of the stack of papers. She wrapped her arms around her stomach protectively and shot the Chief a worried look. In return he gave her a look that said "It's okay, just trust them". She leaned back in the couch and let her eyes wander around the room.

Carlisle snapped the folder shut when he was done reading and handed it back to Charlie. "That's one heck of a life story you have there, Aiofe." Aiofe nodded and shuffled her feet around on the plush carpet. Edward leaned around his father and looked at her, "So, how far along are you?" Aiofe looked down at her bump and shrugged,  
"I don't really know." He arched a copper eyebrow at her,  
"What do you mean? Didn't your doctor tell you how far along you are?" Aiofe looked down and shuffled uncomfortably around in her seat. "I, well, I've never been." The three men's faces showed their surprise. Carlisle turned his body so he was facing her, "If you don't mind me asking, why you didn't go for a check-up?"  
"I was too scared to, in case Joseph found out, because I knew people would judge me, and because I was afraid, afraid there might be something wrong with Junior." She blushed and ducked her head to hide it,  
"There's no need to be embarrassed. Those are perfectly rational fears. But I'll tell you what, if you're up to it, on Tuesday I'll take you to the hospital with me and we can make sure Junior is okay, and I might even be able to get an ultrasound machine." He smiled comfortingly at Aiofe and she beamed back at him, "You mean I could get to see Junior?" He nodded.

"Time has flown; it's 2 O'clock already. We've missed lunch. Aiofe, are you hungry? I'll go and see what I can find in the fridge." Chief Swan disappeared out of the office, leaving Aiofe sitting on the couch alone with Carlisle and Edward. She rubbed circles on her stomach and hummed gently, and in response she felt a small nudge. At the sensation, a smile spread across her face, filling every crevice and making her glow. "I think Junior just kicked me." She whispered it, to nobody in particular, but it was heard by everybody in the otherwise silent room. Charlie appeared again with a plate of crackers with cheese on them and grapes, "It's not really much of a meal, but it's all we have. I'll take you out for dinner in a while. Carlisle, would you like to come with us?"  
"I would love to Charlie, but we have to go to an engagement party this evening, which includes a fancy dinner, and my wife would kill me if I ate dinner beforehand. But if you like, we can go with you, and leave for the party straight after?" The chief nodded, "What time shall we say? Around six?" Carlisle nodded and pulled his phone out of his pocket.  
"I'll just phone my wife and make sure it's okay." He stepped outside the office door and closed it softly behind him.

*%*

Aiofe stepped out of the Police cruiser and pulled Seth's hoody tighter around her as protection against the sting of the cold. They hurried into the restaurant, where Carlisle and Edward were already waiting for them at a table, Carlisle had brushed his hair so it was swept back and his tuxedo was crease-less and crisp, Edward's hair was tousled like it had been earlier and he was also wearing a crease-less tuxedo. Aiofe and Charlie took the two seats opposite them, "I feel very under-dressed now." Charlie grumbled, he straightened his police uniform and sat down. Carlisle laughed, "If it's any comfort to you, I fell very over-dressed."

A waiter came over to take their orders, Charlie ordered without having even glanced at the menu, "Could I have a cheeseburger, fried and cola please. Aiofe, what would you like?" Aiofe blinked and looked at the menu,  
"Uh, I'll just have the same as you." The waiter nodded and scribbled their order down on her notepad,  
"Your food should be ready soon." She walked away back behind the bar.

Carlisle and Charlie were soon immersed in an enthusiastic discussion about something and Edward was politely staring out of the window. Aiofe slouched down in her chair and fiddled with the lace on the table cloth. She felt herself zoning out from the world around her and did nothing to stop it. She watched as her finger nails cut through strands of lace to make a design in the repetitive squares on the lace. She felt a tap on her should and looked up to see three curious faces watching her. She smiled sheepishly. "Food's here."

Aiofe ate as politely as she could, she used all the manners that she knew and she was careful to hold her cutlery in the right hand and hold it the right way. She knew that Charlie was trying to persuade Carlisle to adopt her, and she liked him, he seemed nice. And even though she didn't want to be forced upon him and his family, she did want whatever is best for her baby, and at the moment, a family seemed to be that thing.

*%*

Carlisle parked his Mercedes in the garage and shut the garage door. He walked up the stairs to the main house and found his family sitting in the living room, around the TV. He walked towards the stairs and motioned for his wife to follow; she stood up from her space on the couch and followed him into their bedroom. "So, how did it go?"  
"It went well, actually. Aiofe is really nice, and Charlie seems to really believe that we are her only option, or a home. But I can tell that he doesn't want to see her g into a home." She nodded,  
"And what did you think of her?"  
"She's a good kid. She's polite, and friendly. But I think she's more pregnant that he let on. I persuade her to come to work with me on Tuesday so we can find out."  
"You care about her. I can tell, you wouldn't have asked her to go the hospital with you if you didn't. And the way you speak about her. Do you think we should adopt her?" He sighed and sat down on the bed.  
"I don't know. She needs someone to look after her and help her, and we could do that. But what if she gets hurt? She is only human. I don't want to see her get hurt, Esme." Esme took his hand in hers.  
"And have you asked your children what they think of this?" He nodded.  
"Edward says that he likes her and she's nice. He thinks he would be willing to give her a chance." She nodded,  
"That's all I need to hear. I want to meet her."

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review.

COMING UP:  
Aiofe meets Esme.  
Aiofe and Seth talk.  
Important decisions are made.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aiofe has a talk with Seth. She meets Carlisle's wife and Charlie gives them the adoption papers. Carlisle and Esme go back and discuss it with their family.

Listening to:   
Dancing In The Dark – Bruce Springsteen  
Carry On My Wayward Son – Kansas  
Runnin’ – Jensen Ackles cover  
I’m A Believer – The monkees  
It’s Time – Imagine Dragons

 

The white-painted aluminium shop shelves groaned from the weight of seemingly random objects messily stacked along them. There were clocks, enclosed in wooden houses, in stacks of 3 or 4 high, leather-bound cameras sat on a higher shelf, proudly showing their bellows. Other objects sat in piles and heaps all over the place; bowls, watches, cigarette tins, dresses, war helmets, furniture: it was a haven for antique collectors. The air was thick and heavy with the musty smell and the odd cloud of dust.   
Esme was crouched down on the dark green carpet, looking through boxes of varying materials, filled to the brims with smaller objects.   
“Don’t you think you’re going a little overboard?”   
Esme’s head snapped up and she smiled, “Not at all. It’s rude to arrive at someone’s house, and to be empty-handed.” She beamed at her daughter, who smiled back.  
“I know, but most people would bring biscuits or a bottle of wine,” She pointed to the boxes, “You’re in an antique store.”   
Esme nodded absently and continued searching through the boxes, so Alice continued, “It seems like you’re trying to bribe the kid into liking you. But you don’t need to bribe her, Esme, she’ll like you anyway.”  
Esme looked up at her daughter again and grinned. She put her hand out, showing the little silver object sitting on her palm. It was a child’s rattle; a design has been engraved onto it, vines twisting around each other, with flowers growing from them.  
Alice nodded. “It’s beautiful. What age is she?”   
Esme put the rattle on the floor beside her and busied herself with putting the other objects back into the boxes, “She’s fifteen.” She stood up, brushed herself off, and picked up the rattle again.  
Alice frowned at it. “She’s pregnant.” Alice stared at the ground behind Esme’s feet and shuffled about slightly, “I thought you said she’s fifteen. Why is a fifteen year old pregnant?”  
Esme frowned at her daughter. “You’re judging the girl before you’ve even met her. She could have been raped or be carrying the next baby Jesus for all we know!” Esme had her arms crossed over her chest.  
Alice nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I know. I’m sorry. So she’s keeping the kid?”   
Esme nodded, smiling, and walked to the till. She gave the woman the rattle and pulled out her purse.  
“Is that all for you today?” the woman asked as she wrapped the rattle in bubble wrap and placed it in a carrier bag.   
“Yes, thank-you.”   
Polite smiles were exchanged as the woman tapped some button on her computer. “That’ll be $64.95 please.”   
Esme nodded, thanking her again, handed over the money, took the carrier bag, and followed Alice out of the shop.   
Outside the antique shop, Alice stopped at turned to her mother. “Which shop now?”  
Esme looked at her, and, pointing to a red and blue fronted candy store, asked, “How about there? We could get some nice chocolates for this evening.” They turned and walked through the crowds towards the candy store.   
*%*   
“Aiofe, you wanna play?” Seth held out a PlayStation controller out to her.  
Aiofe glanced at the TV screen. The menu screen of a racing game showed, and the cursor pointed to the word ‘multiplayer’. “Yeah, sure.” She took the controller from him, and watched as he pressed a few buttons on his controller.   
“Okay,” he pointed to the controller in Aiofe’s hands, “this button is the accelerator, this is to reverse, you use this joystick to steer, that’s it basically. Good luck!” He pressed another button and the race started.  
A large number of uncounted minutes later, they were interrupted by a knocking on the door. “Mom! Charlie!” Seth yelled, “Could one of you get that?!”  
Charlie appeared from the dining room, and glanced at the two teens sitting side by side on the couch, then he walked over to the door.  
Seth couldn’t see Charlie or the person at the door, but he could hear their conversation.   
“Hey there, Chief. I’m sorry to disturb you on your Saturday off, but this dog was found at the park where the shooting was the other day. His tag says he belongs to a J Harley, so I searched the records to find the guys phone number. Apparently Joseph-“  
Charlie butted in, “Joseph Harley was killed in the shooting. I’ll take the dog, I know where his daughter is, maybe she’ll want him.”   
“Joseph has- had a daughter?!” The surprise in the man’s voice was evident. “How did he manage to keep a person a secret? Do you know what age she is?”   
“I don’t know how he managed to keep the townspeople from knowing about her. She’s 15.”  
Seth paused the game and stood up, motioning for Aiofe to follow. She put her hands behind her and pushed herself off the couch and onto her feet. She followed closely behind Seth as they walked to the door.  
Charlie’s head turned at the sound of their footsteps as they approached. “Hey, kids.” A chocolate Labrador sat on the floor at his feet, when it caught sight of Aiofe, it bounded towards her with its tail wagging wildly, and tongue out. Her eyes widened in surprise and she smiled.   
“Hermes!” Aiofe delightedly scratched his ears and patted his head. Seth knelt down and enthusiastically clapped the dog. Aiofe watched as he kissed the dog’s blocky head and rubbed his sides.   
“I have to go now, Chief. I’ll see you around.” The man with black hair waved and headed back to his car.  
Charlie shut the door behind him and look at the teens. “Well, you two. If you want to keep that dog, you had better feed him. Seth, there’s some dog food at the bottom of the larder cupboard. And you will find a bowl there too. Aiofe, what kind of food does he eat?”  
Aiofe looked at Hermes, “Uh, he usually eats that smelly stuff in the tins, with some of the dry biscuits. He’s not a fussy eater, he’ll eat anything.”   
Seth wandered into the kitchen with Aiofe and Hermes on his tail. He opened the larder cupboard and dug around in the bottom of it, then pulled out a tin of dog meat and a bag of mixer. He then pulled out a china dog bowl and looked at it for a moment before placing it on the breakfast bar. He was looking away from Aiofe all the time he made the dog’s dinner, so she couldn’t see his face. But when he bent down to give the dog his food, she could have sworn she saw a dampness on his cheek.   
“Hey, Seth. You okay?” She awkwardly placed a hand on his arm, trying to comfort him. “What’s wrong?”  
Seth straightened up and looked at her, choosing not to answer. “What do you say we take Hermes for a walk after he has eaten?”  
Aiofe nodded and watched him put away the food, her brows creased in confusion.   
*&*   
“So, Seth, if you don’t mind me asking, why were you upset?” Aiofe shut the front door behind them and jogged to catch up with Seth.   
“I don’t mind you asking. I was upset because my dog, Samson, died a couple of weeks ago. I still miss him is all.” He had a distant, fond look on his face.   
She looked at him. His eyes were still tinged with red from his tears earlier but he was crying no more. “Oh. I don’t really know what to say to that. I’ve never really had anyone I love die, well, except my brother, but that doesn’t count.”  
He looked at her curiously as they entered the forest and started to follow and well-worn, frost-coated path. “If you don’t mind me asking,” he parroted at her, making her smile, “why doesn’t that count?”  
Aiofe looked at his face again, seeing it showed worry. He genuinely cared. “My brother, he, uh, he might not exactly be dead. I don’t know.”   
“Oh. What do you mean?” She looked away so he couldn’t see the tussle of emotions playing across her face.   
“He went to Afghanistan five years ago, and never came back. But nobody ever told me, uh, that he was dead, so there’s no proof, that he’s actually dead.”   
Seth was quiet for a minute, thinking. “That must be hard to live with, you know, wondering. So, do you, um, think he’s still alive?” He looked at her, his warm eyes earnest.   
Aiofe turned and watched Hermes jump over a tree branch that was lying in the dirt. “I don’t know. I hope so. Well, nobody wants their own brother to be dead. But I kind of also want him to be, because if he is alive, then he abandoned me.”  
He looked slightly taken aback by her blunt words. “I don’t know what to say to that. You’re right, though. I understand your logic. So, do you have any other family? What are they like?”  
Aiofe laughed as she kicked a stone away with her holey, battered Converse. “Isn’t that a silly question? Would I be staying with your family if I had my own? My mum died when I was a baby, she was murdered- by my father. So then it was just me, and him. My brother was 22 when I was born; he was in the army even before then. And I have Junior, but if I have any other family, I’ve never met them. What about you?”   
“That’s one heck of a life story, Aiofe. My dad died a few years ago, he had a heart attack. So it was just, me, my mom, and Leah, until mom got together with Charlie. Then he became part of the family. You’ve not met my sister yet, and believe me, you probably don’t want to. She’s moody, really moody, and mean.” He laughed half-heartedly.  
“That’s not a life story, Seth, that’s not half of the story. Sorry ‘bout you dad. Your sister can’t be that bad, the rest of your family are really, really nice.”  
“Really? Dare I even imagine the entire life story? And Leah, she’s a bitch, seriously, you don’t want to get on her bad side. But if she ever tries to bully you, I’ll protect you.” He patted her shoulder and grinned cheekily at her.   
“Oh, gee, thanks. Good to know I have you as an angel on my shoulder to protect me from your sibling’s harsh words.”   
“I mean it, Shorty. If anyone, ever tries to bully you or make you miserable, tell me, and I’ll try to help you. Seriously.” There wasn’t a hint of joking on his face, and Aiofe felt a surge of affection for the boy.  
“Thanks, Seth. That’s good to hear. Is that a swing?” Aiofe pointed ahead of them.   
“Where?” Seth looked around, still not seeing anything. Aiofe pointed again.   
“Over there. Look, on that big oak tree.” He followed the direction of her finger, and spotted said swing. “Oh yeah, it is. It looks quite old though, it’s probably not safe.”  
Aiofe squinted at it as they got closer. “Nah, it’s been built by someone who knows what they’re doing, and that’s good, thick rope.” She started to walk in the direction of the swing.  
“I’m still not sure you should try it.” Seth said doubtfully. “What if you hurt yourself?”  
Aiofe turned and glared at him. “I’m pregnant, not a china doll.”  
He nodded and looked down to avoid her glare. “I know, it’s just, I can’t help it, okay. And my mom will kill me if you get hurt and she knows I let you do it.”  
Aiofe shrugged. “Then, if I do hurt myself, which is highly unlikely, then I’ll say you tried to stop me. Easy.”   
“Aiofe-“  
Aiofe ran forward and jumped onto the swing before he could stop her, planting her butt firmly onto the wooden seat. “See! It holds my weight! It’s fine.” She shouted.   
“Just be careful!” He called back at her.   
“I always am!” She began to kick her legs to make the swing go higher.   
“That’s not being careful.” Seth walked over and stood behind her, off to the side slightly, watching.   
“That’s having fun.” Aiofe shot back.  
He stepped closer and when she got close, he pushed her, rocking the swing.   
“What are you doing?”   
“Hold on, I’m pushing you.” He shoved her again.   
“Why?”   
“Because I need something to do, and it was tempting.” He pushed against her back again.   
“Oh, okay.” Aiofe agreed.  
“Shouldn’t we be walking the dog?” Seth asked a while later. His arms must have been starting to ache from pushing Aiofe on the swing.   
“No, look, he’s running around, exercising himself. He’s really stupid.” Aiofe pointed out.   
“He’s not stupid. Dogs are very clever, especially Labradors.” Seth argued.   
“Really? Well I guess Hermes is kinda clever. How come you know so much about dogs?”   
“I’m a bit of a big dog fan, I suppose.” He shrugged his shoulders.   
“Oh, I’m not really. I like Hermes, probably because he belongs to Arden, my brother. But I’m not really a dog person, probably because most of them like to bite me, and try to eat me. That’s happened a few times. I have a few scars from dogs, mostly German Sheppards, I especially don’t like those.”  
At Aiofe’s words, Seth frowned. “You’ve been attacked by a German Sheppard? That must have been terrifying!”  
Aiofe gave a small shrug. “Yep, twice. I think it was, I can’t remember it too clearly, the first time I was a tiny baby, and the second time I was two, or almost two.”   
“Wow. I used to say that my life was hard and bad, but I never will again. I’m realising that I don’t even know what a hard life is, but you do. It makes me feel sorry for you; I want to help you, and to make sure you don’t have to go through anything like that again.”   
She laughed, it rang through the trees like church bells at a wedding.   
“You’re so sappy. That’s not my whole life story, Seth. But, since that upsets you, I won’t tell you the rest. What about you? What’s your life been like?”   
“So what if I’m a wuss? If I’m mushy and caring and gay? My life, so far, has been great. Full of love and care. White picket fence. I had a bitchy sister, who was hardly ever home anyway. Lots of friends. I’m great at school. Then my dad died. And then, two years later mom found a new boyfriend, and I like him. He can’t replace my dad, but I do love him.”   
“There’s nothing wrong with being kind. You have a great life, when you got to `white picket fence’ I thought I might be jealous, but I’m not. My life, so far, might not have had anything to do with white picket fences or love or care, but if I could, then I wouldn’t change it. Because good things did come out of it; my relationship with Arden, Hermes, but most of all: Junior.” Seth nodded in agreement.   
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Junior is a good thing. If you don’t mind me asking, how did Junior come around? I don’t mean to pry, but you’re fifteen, I don’t want to offend you, sorry if I did.”   
Aiofe sighed. “You didn’t offend me there, Seth. Junior is a good thing, but how he or she came to be isn’t so. I was, uh, I was raped.”   
Seth blurted out “Oh. I’m-“ but Aiofe interrupted him.   
“Please don’t say you’re sorry, there’s nothing to say sorry about. I’m not sorry. Not at all. Junior is the best thing that has ever happened to me.”   
He was silent for a few moments. “You’re really confident and sure about this. That’s really brave.” She laughed. “I’m not confident, or sure. To be honest, I don’t have a clue what to do, and I’m not even that sure what’s happening to me. Well, obviously I know that I’m going to get fat then have a baby, but surely there must be more to it than that.”   
“Didn’t your doctor tell you, and give you details, or leaflets? I thought that’s what they usually do.” His tone was worried again. Aiofe sighed.   
“I’ve never been to the doctor, I was too afraid of my father finding out, and of what the people in the hospital would think of me. I thought about going, but I wasn’t brave enough. But Charlie’s friend, the doctor, is going to take me on Tuesday.”   
Seth nodded.   
“I don’t blame you, I would have been too afraid to go if it was me. You mean Carlisle? He’s really nice.”   
Aiofe frowned. “Why would you ever be in that position? Unless you’re secretly a girl! Are you?”   
“No! Of course not.” He laughed, the sound melted into Aiofe’s laughter as it rang though the trees once more.   
“Yeah, sure… Can you stop pushing me? I’m gonna get off.”   
Seth let his arms drop down by his sides and stepped out of the way. “Yeah, good idea. We should probably head back now, Mom will be getting worried.”   
Aiofe grabbed one of the ropes of the swing and held onto it as she swung herself around to jump to the ground. Seth rushed forwards and took a hold of her arm to steady her.   
“Pregnant; not a china doll!” Aiofe snatched her arm back and glared at him.   
“I know! I’m just being helpful.” He held his hands up in defeat and followed her back to the path.   
“Hermes! Come here, boy!” Aiofe called, and the dog bolted past her like a bullet shot from a gun, “Go on, that way. On you go.” The dog bounded ahead of them on the way back to the house.   
*&*   
“How long does it take to walk a dog? You said you would be back before me; I’ve been back for over ten minutes, and I was running late, Seth, do you have any idea how worried I was?!”   
Seth shrank back slightly from his mother’s harsh words and sharp tone. “I’m sorry, Mom. We got talking and lost track of time.” He bent down and unclipped the dog’s collar, and Hermes ran into the kitchen to the water bowl.   
“It’s okay. You had better get going, son, you’re late. Aiofe, sweetheart, could you go upstairs to my room and wait there? I’ll be up in a minute, I just need to find something first.” The smile on Sue’s face was a genuine one.   
Aiofe nodded and plodded towards the stairs. On her way, she passed Charlie kneeling at a chair, polishing his work boots. He grinned at her and she smiled back at him.   
Sue and Charlie’s room was unchanged since the last time Aiofe had been in it, all chocolates and creams. She sat on the backless stool and fiddled with the loose threads around a hole in her jeans. A minute later the door opened and Sue wandered in, carrying a few plastic shopping bags. “Hey, sorry for the wait, I couldn’t remember where I put these.” She put the bags down and started rummaging through them; she pulled out a pair of thick grey tights and put them in a pile with a thick tweed skirt, a long sleeved top and grey wool button up jumper that was lined with fur. “Could you put these on? They should fit you.” Aiofe nodded, picked up the pile of clothes, and started to head towards the bathroom.   
“Aiofe, Charlie’s in the shower, if it bothers you, I can leave the room while you change?” Aiofe shook her head,   
“No, it’s alright, I don’t mind.” She set the pile of clothes down and pulled off her jeans and socks, then picked up the tights, made sure they were the right way round, and put them on. Then she pulled her over-sized Avengers t-shirt over her head and pulled on the off-white t-shirt. The neckline was slightly lower than she would normally wear, but it wasn’t overly revealing, and it was warm and soft. She picked up the skirt next; it had an elastic waist, so it would fit her. She put it on and straightened it. She never had been a girly girl, and she never liked skirts. All the other girls her age wore skirts that were way too short, and very tight. But she liked this one, it came to just below her knees and it was loose. She knew that if she spun around, it would flare out.   
“Thanks, I love it.” She grinned at Sue; then reached for the jumper.   
“You would be better not putting that on just now; it might get in the way.” Sue advised. She pointed to the backless stool and Aiofe sat on it. Sue picked up a hairbrush from the dresser and started to brush Aiofe’s curly, untamed locks. She started from the bottom so it would hurt less when the brush snagged. She hummed quietly while she was working, and Aiofe recognised the tune, but she couldn’t quite remember what it was. She sat, deep in thought, until it came to her. Song Of The Lonely Mountain, she started to sing along in time with Sue’s humming. “From long ago when lanterns burned, until this day our hearts have yearned, her fate unknown, the Arkenstone…” She sang quietly, and shyly.   
Once Aiofe’s hair was brushed and tug-free, Sue plaited it into a tight French plait, leaving her fringe down. She reached behind her and picked up the jumper. She handed it to Aiofe, who put it on, leaving it unbuttoned. Sue made sure Aiofe’s outfit was straight and neat and tidy. “Okay, you’re ready.” She smiled at Aiofe and made sure her hair was sitting nicely.   
“Ready for what?” Aiofe sat back down on the stool, facing Sue, who sat on the foot of the bed.   
“You remember Charlie’s friend, Doctor Carlisle? Well, tonight he’s coming over; he’s bringing his wife to meet you. And they’ll decide if they want to adopt you.” She smiled comfortingly, and Aiofe nodded.   
“Okay. Do you think they will want me?” She chewed on her lip as she stared at Sue with big, dark eyes.   
“I think they will. They have lots of children, all older than you, and they are all adopted. And Carlisle really likes you.” She turned towards the window as the sound of car tyres crunching over gravel reached Aiofe’s ears, “And that will be them. Are you ready, Aiofe?” She looked back at the girl on the stool, who nodded slowly. She stood up and Aiofe followed. Together, they walked through the door and down the stairs.   
There was a knock on the door as Aiofe and Sue were halfway down the stairs. From the dining room, Charlie shouted “Come in!” He emerged from the dining room as the door opened and a red-headed girl ran in, “Papa!” She ran towards Charlie and jumped into his waiting arms.   
“Hey, sweetheart! I wasn’t told that you were coming, I would have gone out and bought some nice cake! Although, I might have some in the cupboard… Do you want to go and check?” He grinned at her and she nodded, her curls bouncing. “Yes! Thanks Papa!” She ran away into the kitchen.   
The adults and Aiofe were sat around the living room when she returned with a sliced chocolate cake on a plate, the put the plate on the coffee table and took a piece.   
Aiofe was sat on the floor in front of the fireplace, the fire was burning, but the mesh guard had been put in front of it. She loved the smell of the fire, and the noises it made.   
“Aiofe, there’s a space on the sofa if you would prefer a more comfortable seat.” Aiofe leaned forward to see where the voice came from; there was a pretty caramel-haired woman with kind, light brown eyes sitting on the couch beside Carlisle. “I’m okay, I like sitting near the fire. Thanks for the offer though.” She smiled as politely as she could.   
The red-headed girl sat down next to Aiofe. “Hi, I’m Renesmee. I already know who you are, you’re Aiofe. It’s nice to meet you, Aiofe.” She pointed to the couple on the couch, “That’s my Gran and my Grandpa, Esme and Carlisle. And Charlie is my other Grandpa, but I call him Papa.” She grinned at Aiofe, who didn’t know how to reply.   
“It’s nice to meet you too, Renesmee. So you have a big family then?” Aiofe turned to face the younger girl, the better to engage in conversation. “Yeah, I have two aunties and three uncles, they all from my Daddy’s side of the family, my Mommy doesn’t have any brothers or sisters, neither do I. Me, Mommy, Daddy, all my aunties and uncles, Grandpa, and Granny all live together, it’s really fun.” She shot Aiofe a dimpled smile.   
“Wow; that does sound fun. You have a very big family. I’ve never had a big family; it was just me and my father, and sometimes my brother.” Aiofe smiled to herself, what if these people did adopt her? She would have siblings, real siblings.   
“Don’t you have a Mommy? And where are you Dad and brother now?” Renesmee watched Aiofe with wide, curious eyes. “My mom died when I was a very little baby, I was just two weeks old. I don’t remember her at all. My father died a few days ago. And my brother is in the army, he went to war a few years ago and never came back.” She felt more than one pair of eyes on her, so she looked over her shoulder to find the kind woman, Esme, looking at her sadly, obviously having overheard all of what Aiofe just said. She shot her what she hoped was a reassuring, kind smile and turned back to Renesmee.   
“Aiofe? I was out shopping earlier, and I saw this, and I really liked it, so I bought it for you.” Aiofe looked over; Esme was holding a neatly wrapped box in her hands, holding it out for Aiofe. She stood up slowly, and carefully, and she plodded over. She stood beside Esme as she carefully unwrapped the box. And she opened the lid and her face lit up when she saw what was inside. She lifted the little rattle out of the box and couldn’t help but smile at it. “It’s beautiful. Thank-you. I’m sure Junior will appreciate it.” She grinned at the kind woman, who smiled back.   
“I’m glad you like it. You call the baby Junior?”   
Aiofe nodded and giggled.   
“Yeah, I call him or her Junior. I don’t know why, or when it started, but it’s better than calling it him for months then it turning out to be a her, or vice versa.” She patted her enlarged stomach fondly. Esme smiled, squeezed Aiofe’s shoulder, and walked in the direction of her husband as he called on her.   
Esme walked into the dining room where her husband and Charlie were seated, talking. She sat down on the wooden chair beside the one that Carlisle was seated on. “So what do you think?” Charlie looked at her as she sat down.   
“About what?” She leant forward, leaning her crossed arms on the table.   
“About Aiofe.” Charlie was fidgeting with his pen, clicking it and tapping it against the dark, wooden table. Esme nodded,   
“Aiofe is an amazing young girl. She is trying to do the best for her baby, in every situation, she puts the baby first. I really respect her for that, and she’s incredibly brave, to go through all this, and still want to keep her baby. And she’s very kind, friendly and polite. I like her a lot, and would be thrilled and proud to have her as my daughter, what about you, Carlisle?”   
The men nodded in agreement, “I have to agree with you. I get the impression that Aiofe is a kind-hearted girl, the kind of girl who will accept our strange family for who we are. I think that she is very courageous, and strong as a person. I would like to help her, and give her a home and a family, I think we should do this, Esme, do you agree?” He looked over at his wife and smiled at her.   
“Of course, I agree with you. But we will have to ask the others what they think, if they want another little sister, it is a big change for them after all.” She looked at her husband and he nodded, then he addressed Charlie.   
“We’re going to discuss the matter with the kids tonight, and if they are positive about it, then we will bring the forms back to you as soon as possible, and if they aren’t very happy about it, then I’m afraid we will be forced to say no.”   
Charlie nodded, “I understand. Thanks for doing this. So here are the forms, I’ve already signed all of the parts that I can sign, and filled in all of the details that I can, the rest is up to you. All you have to do is fill in your details on these pages, and sign here, here and finally, here.” He put the document into an envelope and handed it to them across the table.   
*&*   
Car tyres crunched against the gravel driveway before the Mercedes drove smoothly into the garage. Door opened and slammed shut again, footsteps lead up to the door, which opened, revealing Carlisle, Esme and Renesmee.   
“How did it go?” Alice jumped up from the couch as Renesmee ran past her towards her parents, chatting excitedly.   
“It went well; we want to tell you all together, could you round everyone up into the dining room?”   
Alice nodded at him and ran off, calling names and instructions. Esme and Carlisle walked into the dining room, hand in hand, and in his other hand, the adoption forms and a copy of Aiofe’s file. They sat at the head of the table and their family came into the room and sat around the table with them.   
With their family surrounding them, waiting patiently for them to begin talking. Esme gave her husband’s hand a gentle squeeze under the table and he started talking, “As you probably all know, we are considering adopting a child, well, a teenager. It’s something we’ve never really considered before, but Charlie is doing his best to persuade us, he believes that we are her only option. He’s asked everybody he thinks would be possibly suitable, but we were the only people who said maybe. We met the girl, Aiofe, today and she’s very nice. But Aiofe has quite a complicated back story, her mother died when she was a baby, her father died in the park shooting the other day, and her only sibling, nobody knows where he is. Aiofe was raped a few months ago by her boyfriend at the time, and as a result, is pregnant. I can’t offer you any more information on that, because, quite frankly, I don’t know anything else, but I’ve told her I will take her to the hospital with me on Tuesday to find out how far along she is, and make sure everything’s okay. When I met her today, I thought she was very kind, caring, and she got on very well with Renesmee, which is great. But I didn’t give Charlie an answer before I spoke to you all.” He looked around at the thoughtful and solemn faces looking back at him, and watched the expressions change to ones of enthusiasm.   
He passed around Aiofe’s file for his family to read, and while they were reading, Esme took that time to speak, “When I met Aiofe today, I spoke to her about her baby, who she calls `Junior’, and she wants what is best for her baby, and she is willing to go very far, and try very hard to make that happen. She clearly loves her baby. She seems to me to be a very kind, caring, and strong-willed girl, she’s not very self-confident I noticed, but she’s a happy and intelligent. Renesmee liked her too, didn’t you sweetie?” She smiled at her granddaughter, who nodded,   
“Yeah, she was very nice to me, and she’s pretty, and she has a cool accent.” She giggled and went back to talking with her father.   
Alice smiled and bounced in her seat slightly. “What does she look like? Have you got a picture?” This grabbed people’s attention and curiosity, they watched Carlisle keenly. “Yes, I do have a picture.” He pulled a piece of A4 paper from the stack on the table and turned it so they could see, a picture of Aiofe faced them, dark, bright green eyes and very dark brown, long, curly hair, thin lips and pale skin.   
Bella nodded, “She is pretty, has a pretty name too, Aiofe’s a British name, right?”   
Carlisle nodded, “It is an Irish name, Aiofe’s British, she’s from Scotland, she moved to America with her father when she was ten, after her brother went to Afghanistan.”   
Emmett laughed heartedly, “I’ve always wanted a British baby for a sister, British people are great. I’m definitely in favour of this, what about everyone else?”   
Renesmee nodded and gave the thumbs-up.   
Alice grinned and nodded enthusiastically.   
“Yeah, myself and Bella are for this, it will be good to have another sister, just hopefully Junior will be a boy so us men aren’t hopelessly outnumbered,” Edward grinned, his arm around his wife’s shoulders. Rosalie nodded and smiled, “I agree, we should help this girl, and give her a home and a family, and it will be good to have a baby in the house again.” She laughed and ruffled Renesmee’s hair.   
Carlisle nodded, “Okay, that’s good, is anybody against having a new sister?” he looked around the table, his eyes stopping on Jasper, who spoke up, “I’m not against having another sister, I’m just not a hundred percent sure, a pregnant girl needs a home where it is quiet and calm, so does a baby, and our house is none of those things, it’s always busy, and we’re not a very calm household, I know us boys are very boisterous and playful, especially Emmett. I don’t want to see her, or the baby, get hurt. But on the other hand, we’ve had a pregnant woman, and a baby living in this household before, and they both turned out fine. And the fact that you are a doctor, and there are a lot of women in this house will be a good help to the girl. And, if we are the only people who said maybe to taking her, a home is definitely not the place for her to be. I think we should take her in, and I want to help her.”   
Esme grinned at her husband, who kissed her forehead before turning to their teenage sons and daughters, “I guess it’s settled then, you’re getting a new little sister.” He grinned and put his arm around his wife, “Now you had all better give us some peace and quiet to fill these forms in.” He grinned at his family as they trooped out of the room, excitedly talking amongst themselves.   
*&*  
Charlie sipped his sweet coffee as he laughed at the movie playing on the TV in front of him that he was watching with Sue, his arm around her, and a blanket over the two of them. The room was dark, the only lights coming from the TV and the lamp on the table beside the sofa. “I can’t concentrate on the movie, I can’t stop thinking about whether or not they will adopt Aiofe.” He took another swig of his coffee, and Sue nodded in agreement, “Me too, I think they will though, you know their kids will be up for it.” She picked up the remote and paused the movie, a noise could be heard coming from up the stairs, “Is that Seth snoring?” Sue laughed, “He’s probably keeping Aiofe awake with that racket.”   
Charlie laughed along with her. Sue stood up,   
“I’m going to go check on Aiofe, then going to take a shower.He nodded and went to turn off the movie. As he was putting the disk back into its case, there was a knock at the door, “Come in!” he hollered.   
Esme stuck her head around the living room door hesitantly, “Hi, I hope I’ve not come too late, I was going to wait until tomorrow to give you the forms back, but I was too excited, and I couldn’t wait.” She smiled sheepishly, holding out the envelope with the forms inside. “They said yes?! That’s great, I can’t wait to tell Aiofe in the morning, I’ll bet she’ll be really pleased… Unless you wanted to tell her yourself, that is?” He was smiling, his brown eyes crinkled at the corners.   
She returned his warm smile, “I don’t mind either way, I would like to see her reaction to the news though, is she awake?”   
He followed her gaze to the stairs. “I don’t know, but if she isn’t, I’m sure she won’t mind you waking her, that would be a nice way to tell her the news actually. She’s in Bella’s old room, last door on the left, if you want to tell her.” She nodded and jogged silently up the stairs, following his directions to the bedroom door.   
Esme knocked quietly, and when there was no reply, she pushed the door open slowly. In the dull light from the moonlight shining through the curtains, she could see Aiofe asleep on the bed, on her side, her long hair behind her, with some stray strands laying on her face, and her long eyelashes resting on pale cheeks. Esme flicked on the beside lamp and sat on the edge of the bed. She took a moment to look at Aiofe before she woke her, she pushed the stray strands of hair from her face gently, and she noticed a scar on the side of the girl’s forehead as she did so. She gently shook Aiofe’s shoulder and green eyes fluttered open.   
“Es- Esme?” The hand that had been resting on her stomach came up to rub her eyes, heavy lidded with sleep.   
“Hi, sweetheart. Sorry to wake you but I have something to tell you, and I was too excited to wait until tomorrow.”   
Aiofe pushed herself into a sitting position, facing the kind woman, “What is it?” Her voice was thick with sleep.   
“I wanted to tell you that my children agreed, the forms have been signed, you’re legally my daughter now.” She smiled at the girl, and Aiofe’s face lit up with a bright, wide grin. 

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a comment and tell me what you thought.   
COMING UP!  
Aiofe meets the Cullen family.   
Carlisle takes Aiofe to the hospital.   
Aiofe makes a new friend.   
Don’t forget to review!  
~Skylair xoxo


End file.
